Drive to mine uranium in Virginia comes to quiet pause

A company is suspending its campaign to mine one of the world's largest known deposits of the radioactive ore in Virginia, citing Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe's opposition.

Virginia Uranium Inc. said it will not support the introduction of uranium mining legislation in the 2014 session of the General Assembly, which would be a first step to mine a 119-million-pound deposit of uranium in Pittsylvania County known as Coles Hill.

McAuliffe had said before his election he was not in favor of lifting the state's decades-long ban on uranium mining, and the Democrat affirmed that position after his election.

Patrick Wales is project manager for Virginia Uranium. He said the company is "in this for the long haul and are committed to developing the Coles Hill project."